January 2022 exams and assessments will go ahead as planned

Friday 17 Dec 2021

On 9 December 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed in their newsletter to schools and colleges that the January exams and formal assessments will go ahead. You can also read the Secretary of State’s letter to all schools and colleges, which included messages on contingency plans and the January 2022 exam series.

“There are exams for vocational and technical qualifications timetabled for January. Students who are due to sit these exams will be prepared and it is right that they should be given every opportunity to demonstrate what they have learnt. Exams and formal assessments will go ahead. Consequently, it is essential that students continue to prepare for these assessments.”

We’ll be sending guidance to schools and colleges on running the January exams in the new year, including separate guidance on how and when special consideration can be applied for students who are completing/certifying their qualification in January 2022.

If students entered for assessments in January 2022 and are unable to complete these, they will be able to enter and complete their assessments in either March 2022 (Functional Skills learners only) or Summer 2022.